The Boston Bruins continue to be a busy team this week, making their second trade in three days, this time to bolster their roster. 

Having dealt away Chuck Kobasew on Sunday to Minnesota the Bruins today acquired left wing Daniel Paille from the Buffalo Sabres in return for two draft picks, a third rounder and a conditional fourth rounder in 2010. 

According to NESN.com Paille was brought in as a short-term replacement for the injured Milan Lucic, currently sidelined for six weeks with a broken finger. 

Paille until now had played his entire NHL career (since 2005-06) with the Sabres. His best season was 2007-08 with 19 goals and 35 points in 77 games, but his playing time was reduced in 2008-09, and this season he'd only appeared in two games for the Sabres. 

It

Minnesota Wild general manager Chuck Fletcher finally made a move to bolster his injury ravaged forward lines, acquiring right winger Chuck Kobasew from the Boston Bruins. 

Heading to the Bruins is checking forward Craig Weller, a second round pick in 2011 and the rights to prospect Alexander Fallstrom.

Kobasew comes with a $2.33 million salary for this season and the Wild were roughly 0K from the salary cap ceiling, but according to Michael Russo of the Minneapolis Star-Tribune the club placed forward Pierre-Marc Bouchard (concussion) on long term injury status thus allowing them to take on Kobasew's salary.

With Bouchard, Cal Clutterbuck (sprained ankle), Martin Havlat and Petr Sykora (groin) sidelined the Wild were struggling offensively, and with nothing really

The Boston Bruins locked up one of their rising young forwards to a new contract extension but it could also put them in a tight squeeze for next season's payroll. 

Rugged power forward Milan Lucic, who was eligible for restricted free agency next summer, re-signed a three-year, $12.25 million contract extension with the Bruins, which counts as $4.083 million per season against their cap starting in 2010-11. 

It's a worthwhile signing by the Bruins as the 21-year-old Lucic is a growing force as a power forward and could become one of the best in the league over the next three-five seasons, and it was best for management to get him under contract now rather than risk a potential contract hassle similar to that they had with winger Phil Kessel, whom they wound up shipping to the

The summer long contract standoff between the Boston Bruins and forward Phil Kessel ended tonight when the Bruins shipped the 21-year-old forward to the Toronto Maple Leafs in exchange for the Leafs first and second round picks in 2010 and their first round pick in 2011. 

Kessel also agreed to a five-year, $27 million contract with his new club, which will count as $5.4 million per season againt the Leafs salary cap. 

This news doesn't come as a surprise for most NHL fans, particularly those in Toronto and Boston. Leafs general manager Brian Burke tried unsuccessfully back at the June entry draft in Montreal to land Kessel via trade, offering up defenseman Tomas Kaberle at the time but the deal fell through over a disagreement of the draft picks to be included. 

Burke's

Boston Bruins forward Phil Kessel must’ve gone into this year’s Labor Day weekend believing his days with the Bruins are numbered.

Trade rumors have dogged Kessel for the past two years, most generated by the local press which -while acknowledging his offensive talent - have issues with his defensive skills, overlooking the fact Kessel is only 21 and most young offensive talents like him tend to improve their all-round play over time.

This summer however the rumors have more than a kernel of truth, as the Bruins nearly had a deal in place which would’ve shipped Kessel to Toronto for defenseman Tomas Kaberle at this year’s draft until it fell apart over which draft picks would be included in the swap.

Intensifying the situation is Kessel’s contract status.

Boston Bruins general manager Peter Chiarelli wasted little time finding a replacement defenseman for Aaron Ward, whom Chiarelli dealt on Friday to the Carolina Hurricanes. 

Less than 24 hours after trading Ward the Bruins announced the signing of unrestricted free agent defenseman Derek Morris to a one-year, $3.3 million contract. 

Morris, 30, is a veteran puck-moving blueliner who spent last season split between the Phoenix Coyotes and NY Rangers, who acquired him at the March trade deadline from the Coyotes. In 75 games he had 20 points and a plus-minus of -10, although in his eighteen regular season games with the Rangers he had 8 points and was +3. 

Replacing Ward with Morris gives the Bruins a more versatile, younger blueliner but he was also more expensive

In a move which could be a harbinger of a possible re-signing of forward Phil Kessel the Boston Bruins today shipped veteran defenseman Aaron Ward to the Carolina Hurricanes in exchange for forward Patrick Eaves and a fourth round pick in the 2010 entry draft. 

This move marks a return of Ward, 36, to the Hurricanes. He spent four seasons with the 'Canes from 2001-02 to 2005-06 and was considered a key player in their march to the 2002 Stanley Cup Final and their 2006 Stanley Cup championship. 

Ward is a defensive blueliner whose speciality is shot-blocking, and his salary was worth $2.5 million against the Bruins cap this coming season. With the Bruins sitting at just over $2.1 million in available cap space they needed to free up space to re-sign restricted free agent Kessel.